Draft-gear.



J. M. ROFILFING.

DRAFT GEAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. II. Isls.-

Patented May 23,1916.,

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' Illllll l. M. ROHLFING.

DRAFT GEAR. APRucATIoN man APR.1. 1913.

Patented May 23,1916.

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JOHN M. ROHLFING, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CDRIEORA'IIONv 0F NEW JERSEY.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Application iled April 11, 1913.

To all whom z'z may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. ROHLFING, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings: Figure l of the drawings is a horizontal section taken through the supporting beams and showing the gear in full assembled position. Fig. 2 is a elevational view of the device, parts of which are broken away to more clearly show the drawbar and yoke connection. Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts arranged for both swiveling and longitudinal movement of the coupler within the yoke. Fig. 4 is an elevational view with parts broken away to show connection of yoke to drawbar. Fig. 5 1s a fragmentary plan view of the lower portlon of the slotted upset yoke arm, the inner faces of which have sliding engagement with the drawbar. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the connecting block used in the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the connecting block as used in the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The principal object of the invention 1s to provide a gear of such form as to be capable of use in cars having limited space between the car bolster and car end.

Another object is to provide a gear in which a drawbar of standard design is permitted a relatively longitudinal movement within a yoke of approved form and dimension.

A further object is to provide a gear in which the connection between drawbar and yoke is sufficiently elastic to permit rela tive movement thereof caused by the surging of the cars in the train.

lVith the above objects in view the invention consists generally in the combination of the drawbar, the slotted yoke arms, connection blocks or thimbles, having slid- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Serial N o. 760,477.

ing engagement with the yoke, and a cushloning means.

The device is designed for use with the Cardwell spring arrangement but may be assembled with a cushioning element of any type. .The helical spring and followers shown 1n the drawings are introduced only for the purpose of illustrating a cushioning element in the assembled structure.

In the drawings, H represents the draft beams forming part of the underframe of a car and between which the gear `is arranged. For the convenience of illustration that portion only of the draft beams is shown which extends from a short distance beyond the bolster to the end of the car.

O is the bolster filler casting arranged between the draft beams and adapted to prevent excessive rearward movement of the yoke; C is the striking casting provided with rearward extensions K which operate as front stops for the follower B, and, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner sides of the extensions K diverge outwardly to permit the draw bar and yoke, or the draw bar alone, to have transverse swinging movement, such as one or both of these parts, according to the type of draft gear in use, will acquire when the car carrying the draft gear encounters a curve; E represents the rear follower which normally and during the bulli'- ing operation bears against abutments R on the bolster' filler; G is the yoke having slotted forward extensions l embracing a drawbar 2. The inner 0r butt end of the shank of said draw bar has upwardly and downwardly directed extensions which have top and bottom horizontal plane surfaces adapted to have sliding engagement with the inner surfaces of the horizontal legs of the yoke G.

Since there is no relative movement of rear follower E and yoke G, these parts may be formed integral with each other.

The butt end of the draw bar is arranged within the yoke G and between slotted eX- tensions l and connected therewith by means of thimbles 3 and rivets 4 secured to drawbar, said thimbles being tightly held against the hereinbefore referred to top and bottom horizontal plane surfaces of the extensions on said butt end of the draw bar. The thimbles 3 are relation-preserving means apertured for the passage of said rivets 4, and are each provided with a retaining iange 5 which laps the metal surrounding the slot 6, and said thimbles move with the drawbar to maintain the yoke arms in proper spaced relation.

It will be observed that the throats or Shanks 7 of the thimbles are deeper than the thickness of the yoke metal surrounding the slots 6. This is for the purpose of allowing a slight spreading movement of the yoke arms produced by the action of the moving drawbar between them.

The elliptical shaped throats 7 of the thimbles 3, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7 are made long enough to receive two drawbar rivets 4 and are narrowed to present plane faces adapted to bear against the side walls of the slots 6. The shape of the thimbles is such as to permit very little, if any, radial movement of the drawbar or coupler within the yoke.

In Figs. 3, 4, 5 and` 6 the thimble 3a is arranged to permit both a swiveling and sliding movement of the drawbar within the yoke. With the device so arranged, the slots 6a in the yoke arms are widened to accommodate the increased width of said thimble. In this arrangement also, the pressure exerted by the spring 10 against the front follower and through said front follower against the rear plane face 11 of the butt end of the coupler will cause the drawbar to automatically return to its normal position within the yoke, that is in line with the central longitudinal axis of the car.

To compensate for the material of the yoke omitted to form the slots or openings 6 6, I prefer to form the end portions 1 thicker than the loop portion, which is adapted to-receive the draft gear elements, and it is to be noted that the end portions 13 of the yoke are of sufcient section to lap the front edge of the coupler or drawbar, as shown in Fig. 2, so'that draft stresses are transmitted from the drawbar to the yoke without straining the aforementioned thimbles 3 or rivets 4. j

As previously stated, the bolster filler casting O prevents excessive rearward movement of the yoke, which is highly desirable in view of the propinquity of the rear end of said yoke and the cylindrical portion of the castlng which forms a bearing for the king pin. lSaid bolster filler casting O, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is provided with horizontal webs` 14 anda centrally located vertical web 15, and when the draft gear is subjected to a buiiing stress, the yoke G is prevented from moving too far rearwardly by these webs, thus avoiding the danger of said yoke strilnng said cylindrical bearing, and the stress is absorbed by the spring 10.

Concerning the front follower B, it will be seen by consulting Figs. 3 and 4 that said follower bears against the inner end of the said yoke, apertured relation-preservlng j means slidably mounted in said yoke openings and bearing against said horizontal plane surfaces, and securing means projected through the openings in said draw bar and relation-preserving means to connect vthe yoke and draw bar in sliding relation.

2. In combination, a draw bar having perforations, a yoke provided with openings in alinement with but larger and wider than said perforations, upwardly and downwardly projecting integral extensions on the inner end of said draw bar, said extensions vhaving horizontal plane surfaces slidably engaging said yoke and forward upstanding plane surfaces, draft stress-receiving portions on said yoke adapted to be` engaged by said forward plane surfaces, members slidably and rotatably mounted in said yoke openings, and bearing against said horizontal plane surfaces to connect said yoke` and draw bar in pivotal and slidable engagement, jand means projecting through said draw bar perforations and said members to secure them together.

3. A draw bar, upwardly and downwardly projecting integral extensions thereon, ayoke having stress-receiving portions lapping and adapted to be intermittently engaged by said extensions, openings in said yo e, slidable pivoting thimbles having anges lapping said yoke and movable with said draw bar in said openings directly secured to said draw bar and adapted to connect said draw bar and yoke in slidable and rotating relation, in combination with resilient means adapted to rock said draw bar at predetermined times, said means comprising front and rear followers positioned within said yoke, the front follower bearingv against said draw bar, and resilient pressure-producing means interposed between said followers.

4. In combination, a draw bar, outwardly shouldered integral extensions thereon, a

yoke, stress-receiving portions on the latter adapted to be intermittentlyk engaged by saidvshoulders, said yoke having relatively large openings therein, slidable thimbles of less sectional area than said openings seated therein and movable with said draw bar independently of the yoke and directly bearing against said extensions, and means for securing said thimbles to said draw bar to cause both to have a slidable connection with said yoke.

5. In-combination, a draw bar, upwardly and downwardly projecting integral extensions thereon, a yoke,- stress-receiving portions on the latter, said yoke having relatively large openings in reinforced portions thereof, slidable thimbles movable with said draw bar independently of said yoke mounted in said openings, said slidable thimbles lapping said yoke and means connecting said thimbles to said draw bar and locking them against relative rotary movement.

6. In combination, a yoke provided with relatively large openings in its end portions,

integral stress-receiving portions on said end portions, a draw bar slidably held within said yoke, transversely disposed integral extensions on said draw bar adapted to engage said stress-receiving portions, removable thmbles connected positively to said draw bar lapping said yoke and slidably mounted in said openings and bearing against said extensions, and connecting elements attaching said removable thimbles tov said draw bar causing them to act as an integer.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. ROHLFING.

Witnesses:

A. MENDEZE, W. V. MORRISON. 

